You Better Learn Mandarin Now

Dani Rodrik

Jan. 13, 2010, 12:44 PM

Thirty years ago, China had a tiny footprint on the global economy and little influence outside its borders, save for a few countries with which it had close political and military relationships. Today, the country is a remarkable economic power: the world's manufacturing workshop, its foremost financier, a leading investor across the globe from Africa to Latin America, and, increasingly, a major source of research and development.

The Chinese government sits atop an astonishing level of foreign reserves - greater than $2 trillion. There is not a single business anywhere in the world that has not felt China's impact, either as a low-cost supplier, or more threateningly, as a formidable competitor.

All of which raises the question of whether China will eventually replace the US as the world's hegemon, the global economy's rule setter and enforcer.